Display rack



Sept. 15, 1953 c. STEVENS DISPLAY RACK Filed Dec. 27, 1949 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Carl L. Stevens INVENTOR.

7 BY and p 1953 c. L. STEVENS 2,652,154

DISPLAY RACK Filed Dec. 27, 1949 2 s s 2 Fig.3.

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Patented Sept. 15, 1953 DISPLAY RACK Carl L. Stevens, Grand Island,Nebn, assignor of fifty per cent to John F. McCarthy, Grand Island,Nebr.

Application December 27, 1949, Serial N 0. 135,191

3 Claims.

This invention relates to novel and useful improvements in devices fordisplaying and dispensing articles, as cartons of milk.

An object of this invention is to releasably connect together a numberof sections in order to form a base which is adapted to accommodatearticles to be displayed, each of said sections having verticalupstanding side walls, some of the side walls being provided withchannel so that they may be disposed in nested relationship with planarside walls of other sections, thereby forming a base of a number ofjuxtaposed sections.

A further object of this invention is to yieldingly urge the articlestoward the front of the device by means of a follower which isconstantly biased by means of a single, resilient strand which isattached at one end to a bracket and which is attached at the other endto the follower after passing over a guide roller.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device of the natureto be described which is made up of a number of similar parts releasablyconnected together so that the resultant useful article may be made ofany desired width in order to accommodate one or more rows of milkcartons or other articles to be discharged.

Ancillary objects and features will become apparent in following thedescription of the illustrated form of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of the device;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing details of constructionof the base and end and side panels which are used in conjunction withthe base;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional View of the device shown in Figure1, taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 4 and in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-4 ofFigure 3 and in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a part of the device taken frombelow it; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view showing detail of construction and takensubstantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 3 and in the direction of thearrows.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention consists of four sectionswhich are held together; each section providing one guideway forarticles to be displayed and dispensed. Any number of sections may befastened together in the manner to be described in accordance with thenecessities of t e particular job.

The utility of the device is in connection with refrigerators. It isrecommended that the device be employed in stores where the self-servicesystem has been adopted. In this manner, a number of cartons of milkplaced in a refrigerator are constantly urged toward the door thereof sothat one is always accessible to the person making a selection.Moreover, by constantly pressing the cartons of milk forward, there islittle likelihood for confusion as to where and how to place the freshermilk. The store operator simply waits until such time that the rack isalmost exhausted and then pushes the followers backward, placing thefresher milk behind the older milk.

Reference is now made to Figure 2. There are two sections In and I2,respectively, fragmentarily illustrated. Each section, for example,section It, is composed of a pair of metal plates, preferably of sheetmaterial, which are spaced from each other in order to form a slot M.The plate [6 is substantially Z-shaped and includes a vertically risingside wall H! with a channel 20 at the upper longitudinal edge thereof. Avertical depending leg 22 depends from a center portion 24 and has aflange 25 disposed at right angles thereto. The center portion 24 isprovided with a longitudinal rib 28 rising from the upper surfacethereof.

The plate [6, then, includes a center portion 24 with a wall l8 risingfrom one edge thereof, together with the leg 22 which depends from theopposite edge thereof, and the flange 25 which extends at right anglesto the main plane of the leg 22.

The plate M which forms a part of the section Ill is of a structureidentical to the plate It with the exception that the side wall 36thereof does not have a channel at the upper edge. The side wall 36 isplanar. 1

Reference to Figure 6 shows that the ridges, each of which is indicatedat 28, form rails to accommodate the articles to be dispensed. Togetherwith the sections H1 and I2 which are shown in Figure 2, there are thesections 38 and 4B which are of similar construction. The fourillustrated sections make up one particular arrangement which is to beused in connection with one size of refrigerator compartment. Forsmaller compartments, a lesser number of sections will be used, and forlarger compartments a greater number of sections will be used.

In order to hold the plates of each section spaced from each otherwhereby the slot between the plates is formed, a bracket is disposed atthe front of the section and a bracket is disposed at the rear of thesection. In Figure 2, the bracket 42 is illustrated as being made of apair of substantially L-shaped members 44 and 46, respectively, whichare connected together by means of a strap 48. This strap is below theupper surface of each L-shaped member so that the slot I4 isunobstructed at the front thereof. A pair of openings is provided in theupper leg of the L-shaped member 46 and a pair of openings 52 isprovided in the upper leg of the L- shaped member 44. These openings areadapted to accommodate rivets or screws so that the bracket is heldfixedly in place on the bottom of the plates.

openings or apertures 53 and 54 are provided in the shorter leg of eachL-shaped member accommodating the shaft or axle 56 which has a roller 58thereon. This journals the roller below the bottom of the section If].

A follower is disposed in each slot. The specific structure of thefollower is seen best in Figure 3 and includes an L-shaped member 59which seats upon the ridges 28. A hanger 60 is passed through the slot14 and has a pin 52 secured thereto. One end of a resilient member, as astrand 64 of rubber or other analogous material is attached to the pin62, while the other end is secured to the pin 66 which is operativelyconnected with the bracket generally indicated at 68. In the course oftravel of the strand 64, the roller 58 is used to guide it, this rollerbeing disposed at the front of the section under consideration.

After the various sections are formed by means of two plates and twobrackets, together with the follower assembly, these sections in anydesired number are connected together by disposing the planar side wallof one section so that its upper end is in nested relationship with thechannel 20 of the next adjacent section.

Front and rear panels 69 and 10, respectively, are disposed at the frontand rear of each sec tion. These panels act as stops in order to limitthe rearward and forward movement of the follower and hence the articleswhich are urged thereby. Side panels 12 and 14 are secured to the endpanels by various means. In Figure 2, the side panel 74 is illustratedas having a bottom or seat flange it together with a tongue 18 extendinglaterally from the vertical edge of said side panel M. This tongue isdisposed between the rolled edges 80 and 82 of the front panel 69 and isheld releasably in place thereby. If found necessary or desirable, arivet or screw may be employed to hold the front panel 69 secured to theside panel 14. Each side panel is held in place with respect to thefront and rear panels in this manner.

In order to hold the sections firmly in place within the confines of theend and side panels, the channels 20 at the ends of the entire assemblyare disposed over the upper edges of the side panels '14 and 52 so thatthe said upper edges of said panels are in nested relationship with thechannels 20 (Figure 4).

To further assist in holding the sides in place on the assembled sectionbase, ears 88 with apertures therein depend from the longer legs of eachof the L-shaped members which form a part of the makeup of each bracket.Rivets or screws may be passed through the apertures in the ears 4 88and fastened to the rear panel 10 or the front panel 69, or both.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A sectional display and dispensing apparatus comprising: a base whichincludes a plurality of separable sections; means operatively connectedwith said sections for fastening said sections together in side-by-siderelationship; at least one of said sections comprising a pair of sheetmaterial plates; brackets secured to said plates at the front and rearends thereof holding said plates in spaced relationship thereby form.-ing a slot between said plates; a follower disposed in said slot; andresilient means secured to one of said brackets and to said followerconstantly urging said follower toward one end of said slot; each ofsaid plates having a vertical upstanding side wall; and said sectionsfastening means comprising channels at the upper edges of some of saidside walls disposed in nested relationship with the other of said sideWalls; end and side panels for said sections; and one of said channelsbeing disposed on the upper edge of said side panels.

2. A display device comprising a plurality of sections which aredisposed in side by side relationship, two of said sections being spacedfrom each other to define a passage between said sections, said twosections each having a downwardly extending vertical wall to provideguideways for said passage, a bracket fastened to the bottom surfaces ofsaid two of said sections retaining said sections in a fixed spacedrelationship, a second bracket fastened to said two of said sections andspaced from the firetmentioned bracket, a follower having a portionlocated in said passage, means yieldingly urging said follower in onedirection on said two of said sections, said urging means beingoperatively connected with both of said brackets, one of said two ofsaid sections having a vertical side with a downwardly opening channelat the upper edge thereof, the other of said two of said sections havinga vertical side with planar surfaces so that the downwardly openingchannel of the next adjacent section may be disposed thereon in nestedrelationship therewith, a frame for said sections, and thefirst-mentioned downwardly opening channel being in nested relationshipwith a part of said frame to hold said sections fastened in said frame.

3. A display device comprising a substantially rectangular frame havinga front, a rear and side walls, said front and rear walls constitutingstops, a plurality of sections disposed in said frame, a first of saidsections including a vertical side wall with a downwardly openingchannel at the upper edge thereof nested with the upper edge of one ofthe side walls of said frame, a horizontal base extending from the loweredge of and fixed to said vertical side wall, a depending vertical legextending from said base at the edge thereof opposite from the edgewhich is connected to the vertical side wall, a second section locatedadjacent to but spaced from said first section, said second sectionincluding a base portion with a vertical leg portion extendingdownwardly from one edge thereof and spaced from the leg of said firstsection to thereby define a reinforced slot, a vertical side wallportion having planar surfaces, means fastening said first and secondsections to one another in spaced 5 apart relation, a follower locatedin said slot and adapted to push articles against one of said stops andarranged to contact the other of said stops to limit its travel, and athird section provided with a downwardly opening channel engaged withsaid planar surfaces of the vertical side wall portion of said secondside wall.

CARL L. STEVENS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberNumber 1,715,276 1,783,479 1,975,622 2,085,479 2,110,299 2,134,6062,156,955

6 Name Date Burns May 28, 1929 Nagle Dec. 2, 1930 Schermerhorn Oct. 2,1934 Shaffer et a1 June 29, 1937 Hinkle Mar. 8, 1938 Hackworth et a1.Oct. 25, 1938 Page May 2, 1939

